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If you’ve never tried a French Onion Chicken recipe before, buckle up. This is the juiciest, most flavorful chicken topped with melty gruyere cheese and smothered with caramelized onions. Think homemade french onion soup in chicken form. It’s a one pan, heavenly dinner. Serve with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Brussels Sprouts.
What is French Onion Chicken?
Well folks, I’m not sure I’ve ever loved any chicken more than I love this French Onion Chicken. It is everything you want in a dinner: savory, sweet, cheesy, made in one pan and ready in under an hour. It’s basically all the ingredients needed for a french onion soup, but turned on its side to create the most glorious chicken dish.
While the chicken cooks pretty quickly, it’s the onions you need to take your time with, caramelizing them in the pan low and slow in butter and olive oil with salt, pepper, bay leaves and thyme. They take 20 to 30 minutes to caramelize and it is certainly time well spent. The onions go from raw and sharp to tender and sweet. The magic lies in the caramelization of the onions so be sure to take your time on this step.
What to Serve with French Onion Chicken
I usually opt for either roasted veggies and/or something carby to help use up all of that delicious gravy. Here are some delicious sides that would be good choices alongside a plate of French Onion Chicken:
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes (these are a showstopper)
- Famous Butter Rice (delicious choice)
- Mom’s Potato Rolls
- Roasted Potatoes
How to Make French Onion Chicken
French Onion Chicken makes for an amazing Sunday dinner or special occasion meal that everyone will love. For full details on how to make French Onion Chicken, see the recipe card down below. Here is what you can expect when making this recipe:
Cook Chicken
Place large, nonstick pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter to the pan. Sprinkle salt and pepper over both sides of the chicken. Add to the preheated pan and brown on both sides and thoroughly cook to 165° F. Transfer browned chicken to a plate and cover with foil.
Caramelize Onions
To the hot pan, add other tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add onions, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper to the pan and stir to coat in spices, butter and oil.
Cook slowly, stirring occasionally for 20-30 minutes or until completely soft and tender. If your onions are coloring before they are tenderizing, your heat may be too high. Reduce heat and continue cooking.
Make French Onion Gravy
Once onions are completely tender and browned all the way though, deglaze pan with marsala wine and cook down by half (this shouldn’t take too long).
Add in the beef broth. In a small bowl, stir butter and flour together to create a paste. Add to pan to thicken the gravy. Stir and cook 1 minute. Reduce heat to low.
Marsala, Sherry or Red Wine?
The jury is out on the right kind of wine to use to be traditional, but I used Marsala because I had it on hand and I love the sweet notes it adds to those caramelized onions.
Return Chicken to Pan + Top with Cheese
Add in chicken and cover to warm through, about 3 minutes. Add shredded gruyere cheese to chicken and cover to melt completely, another minute or two.
Why Gruyere Cheese?
Gruyere cheese is rich, creamy, salty, and nutty; don’t skimp out on this ingredient…trust me.
Storing Instructions
Store covered in the fridge for up to a week! To reheat French Onion Chicken, place it in the microwave or warm in the oven at 350 degrees until heated through.
Can I Freeze French Onion Chicken?
Yes, you can freeze this recipe! Store in an airtight container and freeze for up to three months. To serve, thaw in the fridge overnight then warm in the oven (350 degrees 15-20 minutes) until heated through.
More Saucy Chicken Recipes!
While this might be my current recipe obsession, I certainly have quite the catalogue of chicken recipes to choose from. Here’s a link to all of my other chicken recipes and here are a few saucier chicken recipes I think you’ll like:
- Chicken Cacciatore
- Chicken Piccata
- Crockpot Honey Mustard Chicken
- Chicken with Mushroom Gravy over Mashed Potatoes
The printable recipe card is below. I truly hope you enjoy this French Onion Chicken recipe as much as we did. Oh mama, was it good. Still dreaming about it! Save, print, bookmark, pin and share this one. It’s a gem you won’t want to lose. Have a great day!
French Onion Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 chicken breasts pounded or cut to be 1/2 inch thick (or less)
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 whole yellow onions sliced thin
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup marsala or red wine
- 1 cup beef broth
Finishing the dish:
- 1 tablespoon butter softened
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 4 oz gruyere cheese grated
Instructions
- Place large, nonstick pan over medium heat heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter to the pan. Sprinkle salt and pepper over both sides of the chicken. Add to the preheated pan and brown on both sides and thoroughly cooked to 165 degrees F. Transfer browned chicken to a plate and cover with foil.
- To the hot pan, add other tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add onions, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper to the pan and stir to coat in spices, butter and oil. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally for 20-30 minutes or until completely soft and tender. If your onions are coloring before they are tenderizing, your heat may be too high. Reduce heat and continue cooking.
- Once onions are completely tender and browned all the way though, deglaze pan with marsala wine and cook down by half (this shouldn't take too long). Add in the beef broth. In a small bowl, stir butter and flour together to create a paste. Add to pan to thicken the gravy. Stir and cook 1 minute. Reduce heat to low.
- Add in chicken and cover to warm through, about 3 minutes. Add shredded gruyere cheese to chicken and cover to melt completely, another minute or two.
- Top chicken with dried parsley and cracked black pepper, if desired and serve hot.
There’s only one word that describes this dish:AWESOME. Family loved it and wants it again tomorrow!
Thank you for yet another great recipe,
I really love this dish! I have made it three times and it turns out great every time. Thanks for the recipe!
Would like to make this for my son who can’t have alcohol. Could I use additional beef broth instead, maybe add a splash of balsamic vinegar? Or would that change the flavour too much?
It won’t taste quite the same without the marsala (or as sweet) but I think it should still be good with the substitutions you’re mentioning. (The alcohol does cook off if you’re wanting to make this as written…)
Thanks. I’ll make it for my husband and myself as written but my son can’t have even a little alcohol (liver disease), so won’t take the chance. Can’t wait to try it (lol, both ways).
Yum…I made this with red wine and 1 tsp balsamic vinegar instead of marsala. Delish. I think this sauce would also work with either pork medallions or roast beef, yum. Thank you for posting this recipe. Husband really enjoyed; said it was decadent.
Can we use chicken broth instead of beef broth?
In the ingredients section, I did say you can use chicken broth instead of beef broth!